Art with a purpose?

Hunger, poverty, war and social injustice – Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) depicted people in their existential distress with dignity and sensitive accuracy. The artist observed how the residential city of Berlin became a huge metropolis and made the social consequences, which particularly affected the working-class neighborhoods, visible in her works. With her posters, she created an enormous impact at the time.

In small groups, participants will examine Kollwitz’s works for socio-political messages. Theme, composition, and impact are examined and presented to each other in short tours. Which of Kollwitz’s themes are still relevant and what other issues are we concerned with today in Berlin? Instead of posters on advertising columns, we will then look for contemporary forms of expression and our own messages in response to the question “What do you stand for?”